a look inside

pm9347
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a look inside

i recently read a parable in the bible(matthew 24) that really struck a cord, here it is . "who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household,to give them their food at the proper time?blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. truly, i say to you ,he will set him over all his posessions. ive never been good with parables, but this one has quite an effect on me. I look inside myself to study my life to see if im following the parables sayings. My feelings after reading this indicate that i must evaluate my life to see if im am following what the parable is teaching. essentialy what the parable is saying that  jesus christ will greatly reward those he finds looking after his church/people in his absence when he finally returns. read the parable and evaluate your own life. are you serving him , helping his church
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set oWho then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."ver his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."

This parable is clearly for the instruction of those who are awaiting the Lord's return. The master of the household is gone but he has entrusted certain work to his steward until he returns. That work is primarily a ministry to the rest of the household, and notably, "to give them their food at the proper time."

It is clearly addressed to the disciples and to those who will follow in their footsteps --footsteps of ministry, of feeding and shepherding the church of Jesus Christ. Doubtless it includes any who have a ministry of teaching: pastors, evangelists, prophets, elders, Sunday School teachers, children's workers and Bible class leaders. It takes in any who have gifts of teaching, whether exercised in a church building or in homes. It includes theological professors, editors of magazines, radio teachers, missionaries, youth workers, and many others.

Since this is the first parable in the series it probably points up the most essential aspect of what it means to watch. The wise servant is given one major and primary responsibility: to feed the household at the proper time. If this is rightly done, the household will keep watching; if it is neglected, the household will languish and starve, and will not be ready when the Lord returns.

The task, therefore, of any leader within the church is to unfold the message of the Bible. Every pastor should set a loaded table before his congregation, not only that they might eat and grow, but also that they might learn from him how to draw from the Scriptures for themselves the spiritual nourishment they need. The Bible is wonderfully adapted to this purpose: there is milk for the beginner, bread for the more advanced, and strong meat to challenge and feed the mature. It is so designed that when books of the Bible are taught through consecutively they will cover a wide variety of subjects and yet keep truth marvelously in balance.

It is clearly evident, therefore, that the supreme need of the church during this time of waiting for its Lord is Bible study and knowledge. From this all else will flow. The Bible is the revelation of things as they really are. It represents the only truly realistic look at life that is available to man today. It is the only instrument provided by God that is adequate to the task of producing mature, well-adjusted, whole persons. That is the clear claim of 2 Timothy 3:16,17:

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Be careful that you do not conclude from this that the Bible itself is the food for believers. It is not the book but the Lord which the book reveals that is our food. Christ is found in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments. But Bible study alone can be most dull and uninteresting if one does not expect the Spirit to take the words and from them cause the living Christ to emerge. That explains why some Bible students are such dull and dry people; they have concentrated on the Word alone, without the Spirit. And yet it is impossible to know the Lord Jesus in the fullness of his being without the revelation of the Word. We cannot neglect the Bible and grow in Christ; but we can grow in the knowledge of Scripture and never feed upon a risen Lord.

Imagine the joy of that servant when his lord returns and finds him faithfully at the task he assigned him. "Blessed is that servant," says Jesus. The Greek word for "blessed" can also be translated "happy." What a satisfying feeling it will be to know that he did his work well in the eyes of the only one who counts. What shall be done for such a man? What the Lord says next is truly amazing. Listen to it: "Truly, I say to you, he will set him ove
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."

This parable is clearly for the instruction of those who are awaiting the Lord's return. The master of the household is gone but he has entrusted certain work to his steward until he returns. That work is primarily a ministry to the rest of the household, and notably, "to give them their food at the proper time."

It is clearly addressed to the disciples and to those who will follow in their footsteps --footsteps of ministry, of feeding and shepherding the church of Jesus Christ. Doubtless it includes any who have a ministry of teaching: pastors, evangelists, prophets, elders, Sunday School teachers, children's workers and Bible class leaders. It takes in any who have gifts of teaching, whether exercised in a church building or in homes. It includes theological professors, editors of magazines, radio teachers, missionaries, youth workers, and many others.

Since this is the first parable in the series it probably points up the most essential aspect of what it means to watch. The wise servant is given one major and primary responsibility: to feed the household at the proper time. If this is rightly done, the household will keep watching; if it is neglected, the household will languish and starve, and will not be ready when the Lord returns.

The task, therefore, of any leader within the church is to unfold the message of the Bible. Every pastor should set a loaded table before his congregation, not only that they might eat and grow, but also that they might learn from him how to draw from the Scriptures for themselves the spiritual nourishment they need. The Bible is wonderfully adapted to this purpose: there is milk for the beginner, bread for the more advanced, and strong meat to challenge and feed the mature. It is so designed that when books of the Bible are taught through consecutively they will cover a wide variety of subjects and yet keep truth marvelously in balance.

It is clearly evident, therefore, that the supreme need of the church during this time of waiting for its Lord is Bible study and knowledge. From this all else will flow. The Bible is the revelation of things as they really are. It represents the only truly realistic look at life that is available to man today. It is the only instrument provided by God that is adequate to the task of producing mature, well-adjusted, whole persons. That is the clear claim of 2 Timothy 3:16,17:

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Be careful that you do not conclude from this that the Bible itself is the food for believers. It is not the book but the Lord which the book reveals that is our food. Christ is found in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments. But Bible study alone can be most dull and uninteresting if one does not expect the Spirit to take the words and from them cause the living Christ to emerge. That explains why some Bible students are such dull and dry people; they have concentrated on the Word alone, without the Spirit. And yet it is impossible to know the Lord Jesus in the fullness of his being without the revelation of the Word. We cannot neglect the Bible and grow in Christ; but we can grow in the knowledge of Scripture and never feed upon a risen Lord.

Imagine the joy of that servant when his lord returns and finds him faithfully at the task he assigned him. "Blessed is that servant," says Jesus. The Greek word for "blessed" can also be translated "happy." What a satisfying feeling it will be to know that he did his work well in the eyes of the only one who counts. What shall be done for such a man? What the Lord says next is truly amazing. Listen to it: "Truly, I say to you, he will set him oper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."ns." In another place Jesus said, "You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much" (Matthew 25:21). This is the invariable rule of the kingdom of God.

When you consider who this master really is, it becomes almost incredible that he should reward this servant by setting him over all his possessions. How much is that? Well, Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:21-23:

"All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's."

There is a staggering thought in Paul's letter to the Ephesians which sums all this up in the phrase, "the unsearchable riches of Christ." Who can tell what boundless opportunities, what indescribable adventures of service, what fabulous vistas of challenge, are involved in a phrase like that? Surely one thing is clear: the commitment and labor required to fulfill the ministry of teaching which the Lord has left for us to do will not be worthy to be compared with what shall belong to a "faithful and wise servant" when the Lord returns.
r all his possessions." In another place Jesus said, "You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much" (Matthew 25:21). This is the invariable rule of the kingdom of God.

When you consider who this master really is, it becomes almost incredible that he should reward this servant by setting him over all his possessions. How much is that? Well, Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:21-23:

"All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's."

There is a staggering thought in Paul's letter to the Ephesians which sums all this up in the phrase, "the unsearchable riches of Christ." Who can tell what boundless opportunities, what indescribable adventures of service, what fabulous vistas of challenge, are involved in a phrase like that? Surely one thing is clear: the commitment and labor required to fulfill the ministry of teaching which the Lord has left for us to do will not be worthy to be compared with what shall belong to a "faithful and wise servant" when the Lord returns.


vexed
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Considering your whole

Considering your whole hypothesis is based off of a fictional book, it really has no more relevance than 'The Davinci Code'.

What is there really to debate/discuss about? I really don't get it, you bring in 'information' based off of fiction and present it as fact that needs elaboration. How is this any different from Dianetics and Scientology as far as relevance?

"I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."--Stephen F. Roberts


Strafio
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I only skimmed it so my

I only skimmed it so my points are brief:

1) You repeated a large portion of it...
I'll let you skim over to see.
If you can't edit it then let me know and I shall clean it up with my modly powers. Smiling

2) I skimmed over the passage seemed to be aimed at Christians.
What relevence has it got to non-Christians?
I'll give a quick read over it again but perhaps you could also clarify for us?


MattShizzle
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What vexed said. The

What vexed said. The majority of us here are atheists, and consider the Bible bullshit, so we don't care what it says.

Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team


JCE
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Well, thank you for our

Well, thank you for our christian message of the day. 

Unfortunately, I have heard it before and it still does nothing for me.  I do not see why someone would want to worship a god and waste resources caring for a church when there are better things to do.  For instance, you and I both know that there are countries desperate for medical supplies and food but according to your bible you will be "richly rewarded" if you spend your time sweeping the church floor.  Why would a god want that?  Seems a bit selfish to me and it seems a bit selfish that you would do it in order to obtain a trumped up reward.

If this little biblical belch of yours was meant to provide some sort of proof of your god, it failed. 


pm9347
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your welcome for the bible

your welcome for the bible verse, but i put this out there for people to read so they can look inside themselves and try to identify some inner part of their souls that require them to act , the verse makes you think am i helping others until god returns. how you choose to do that is your choice if you want to help others as a way of fulfilling your purpose here then bring those medical supplies or food to people who need it . i have yet to see or hear atheist provide these things to the poor. all you do is try to prove god does not exist. how selfish is that???  


zntneo
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pm9347 wrote: your welcome

pm9347 wrote:

your welcome for the bible verse, but i put this out there for people to read so they can look inside themselves and try to identify some inner part of their souls that require them to act , the verse makes you think am i helping others until god returns. how you choose to do that is your choice if you want to help others as a way of fulfilling your purpose here then bring those medical supplies or food to people who need it . i have yet to see or hear atheist provide these things to the poor. all you do is try to prove god does not exist. how selfish is that???  


Well considering most atheists i know don't believe in souls. Also, have you heard of bill gates foundation? He is an atheist who gives plenty of money to needy people. Also, you probably wouldn't hear from atheists helping these needy people you know why? because atheists don't do this stuff in the name of atheism ,what ever that means. They do it to help them.


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pm9347 wrote: your welcome

pm9347 wrote:

your welcome for the bible verse, but i put this out there for people to read so they can look inside themselves and try to identify some inner part of their souls that require them to act , the verse makes you think am i helping others until god returns. how you choose to do that is your choice if you want to help others as a way of fulfilling your purpose here then bring those medical supplies or food to people who need it . i have yet to see or hear atheist provide these things to the poor. all you do is try to prove god does not exist. how selfish is that???  

Atheists don't generally rally under an 'atheist flag'.  I'm sure there plenty individual atheists as well as secular companies who do charitable things. 

Just because we do not believe in god does not make a selfish.

If god takes life he's an indian giver


pm9347
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wow , i didnt know bill

wow , i didnt know bill gates was an atheist, cool and yes ive heard of the bill gates foundation. in originaly presenting my arugment above i was trying to get people to look inside of themselves. the verse i provided and i understand that i could use a little work on my cutting and pasting!!! was to show that after you read the verse you look inside yourself to see if your following what god is asking you to do. most of us christians follow god based on a feeling we have. i was hoping to ignite this feeling in others, maybe not my best attempt but i will try again with better examples .